Not sure $149 Disney After Hrs event is doing well... (ETA: reviews in 1st post)

[MinnieSweetheart]

Actually multiple financial sites have already described it as disastrous for Disney based on analyst feedback.

Can you provide links? I'm curious to read those articles.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

They may be losing money for these parties, but you don't know what their end game is. They clearly don't mind losing money on the first couple of parties or they would have cancelled them all together. Maybe they are hoping to find their sweet spot in staffing and capacity, so they are filling the park to figure out what the party CAN maintain. Then they will work with the pricing structure after they are comfortable knowing if they even want to run a party at all.

Has Disney ever cancelled something after it was announced and sold? I know they've dropped things after the announced scheduled dates but I honestly can't recall a time where they've cancelled something and issued refunds based on lack of interest.

 

[Kimberly9701]

No one is questioning whether people enjoy the event. The question is whether or not this is a success for Disney. That is a completely debatable topic and while no one knows exactly why they rolled this out the way they did I do think it can be assumed based on the low reported numbers of tickets sold they are losing money which I'm fairly sure is not their goal.

People are questioning the amount of paid guests. I've read more posts by paying guests than I have from people who received free tickets. That was the point.

I think the argument of overwhelmingly free tickets being given in relation to tickets sold can probably be put to rest.

Granted, none of us know the numbers, and this is a very small platform to determine who got what, but regardless, I think it sounds well worth $150 pp!

I wish we had time to go to Orlando right now!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Has Disney ever cancelled something after it was announced and sold? I know they've dropped things after the announced scheduled dates but I honestly can't recall a time where they've cancelled something and issued refunds based on lack of interest.

Some villain event in Hollywood studios that I think has been refurbished as Club Villian and there was a food and wine premium package of some sort that they cancelled nights of and offered people tickets for another night. Those are the two I can remember reading about on here. Search for golden fastpass if you want to know about the food and wine one, because the guy who had his cancelled insisted he get 3 golden fast passes for each day of his trip.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

People are questioning the amount of paid guests. I've read more posts by paying guests than I have from people who received free tickets. That was the point.

I think the argument of overwhelmingly free tickets being given in relation to tickets sold can probably be put to rest.

Granted, none of us know the numbers, and this is a very small platform to determine who got what, but regardless, I think it sounds well worth $150 pp!

I wish we had time to go to Orlando right now!

I think it's pretty well accepted that more people are getting in for free than paying. Just from the first night it's been reported that a large number of DVC members and even travel agents were given free admission. Reports indicate the ticket sales were at about 300 but attendance reports put it at about 1000 people. If these reports are close to accurate that meant 2/3 of the people attending are doing so for free which I would take as an "overwhelming" majority.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Some villain event in Hollywood studios that I think has been refurbished as Club Villian and there was a food and wine premium package of some sort that they cancelled nights of and offered people tickets for another night. Those are the two I can remember reading about on here. Search for golden fastpass if you want to know about the food and wine one, because the guy who had his cancelled insisted he get 3 golden fast passes for each day of his trip.

Interesting. I'll take your word for it but you have to tell me if the guy got his Golden FPs. Those are hot commodities with the implementation of FP+.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ahhh, c'est Le difference! I don't think it's blind speculation - I think we have just enough clues to make the speculation fun!

And yet, speculation.

then in mid January when I have planned and paid for my trip if Disney decides that they aren't going to charge admission and opens up the parks, and MK fills to capacity, ... I have no right to complain.

Hyperbole.

I think all this "you got your product" talk is nice in theory but I'd love to see the reaction if in the middle of dinner service at BOG they walked in and said. "Everyone in the main dining room enjoy your meal on the house. Everyone in the library your checks on the way." Something tells me the prevailing mood in there is not going to be "Well I got what I ordered. Good for them."

Actually, yes. A moment of envy, with perhaps an extra moment of kicking myself for asking to be seated in the library...

Retail stores such as Best Buy, Wal Mart, Target, all of the grocery stores in my area, and many more are among those unimaginable companies who will adjust their price to reflect a new discount or match a competitor sale

Have you ever made a purchase from a store only to find out the next week that it went on sale??? (or.... free, in a buy one get one free scenario) You wouldn't hesitate to take your receipt back for the refund of the difference, would you? It's the same thinking!
I wouldn't hesitate to ask for a refund or discount!

But they won't price match a free item after the fact. Some stores might match a bogo while the sale was in effect at the other store, but even within a single store free items aren't retroactive.

I did say it was hard to tell. I'll refer you to wdwinfo's own report, http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories...-at-disney-after-hours-event-at-magic-kingdom. My supposition is not beyond reason.



I think you and I define this differently.

It's still just speculation.

Had it been sold at $150 for 2 weeks and then sold at $100 for the last few days, perhaps the request for a discount wouldn't seem as strange to you as the request for a reduction all the way down to free.

Yes, because the price of admission was never reduced all the way down to free

They do if they falsely advertise an event and change the parameters. We don't know the numbers.

If 10% got in free, that is a perk.

If 90% got in free, then It was false advertising of an exclusive event that wasn't exclusive at all.

Companies owe much explanation to their consumers.

Disney not revealing actual admission/ticket numbers available notwithstanding - they're still not allowing any more guests in than previously determined, so the event is still exclusive and there's no valid claim of false advertising.

So when crowds are HIGHER, you have shut down several attractions

Refurbishment and redesigns need to be done in parks that are open 365-366 days a year.

Back to the 95/5% free to paid guest radio--limited would still be false advertising if they discovered they weren't selling out and instead turned it into a limited DVc member engagement.

Of course we don't know the ratio of paid tickets to free tickets.

But if most guests got in free---that would be a problem.

We don't have any way of knowing - not simply guessing, but actual numbers - how many free entries are/were available. I'm not interested in questioning any of the few guests I encounter how much they paid to get in.

but now that I know there are people present who didn't pay to get in, I would NEVER pay for it.

u don't know, though, whether anybody at any upcoming event got in free. You can refuse to pay for tickets to the first two DAH, but while there's the option to wait until the last minute to purchase, or Monday morning quarterback, there's no real way to determine whether anyone is getting invited to pending events.

I was genuine.
I'll be there. At *coff,coff* Fort Wilderness. Id like free after hours tix!

Likely FW *guests* will never be the recipients of free DAH entry due to the difficulty of determining which are staying at campsites vs simply reserving campsites.

But Southwest will issue credits if the price of the tickets fall. In fact, here is a travel tips article telling you what you can indeed do and usually be successful if the price of tickets for your flight fall: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/refund-plane-ticket-price-goes-down-105485.html
So it appears you are incorrect.

Southwest is the only airline that will credit nonrefundable tickets at no charge, whether for a fare drop or the customer changing plans. Legacy carriers generally charge $200 for any changes. Frequently that's more than any potential saving, just as it's more than the price of DAH tickets.

I would be surprised if it continues past the May dates.

There are only sevenish dates between mid April and the end of May. So while it won't continue immediately, it may well return.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I don't know if anyone has read these posts-
But a few people have created threads posting about their experiences doing DAH.
Real life experiences, not gossip and speculation.
If you are curious about this event I highly suggest reading said posts.

It sounds amazing!!! I hope it sticks around!!

Yup. I did it for free as a DVC member, and would probably pay to do it if they have it around in Aug. Would love extra time in the parks with LOW CROWDS and LOW TEMPS.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Actually multiple financial sites have already described it as disastrous for Disney based on analyst feedback.

Links please! I can't imagine that "analysts" have enough info to conclude this after just a couple of events. Seems silly.

ETA: I say this as someone with an MBA and Masters in Finance -- no way there's enough data this early on to draw any conclusions.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Interesting. I'll take your word for it but you have to tell me if the guy got his Golden FPs. Those are hot commodities with the implementation of FP+.

To most of the posters' surprise, he did! It took him about 4 or 5 days of pleading with various CMs, but he did get the golden FPs loaded onto his magic band.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Out of curiosity-

How many on here complaining about the levels of customer service have been to WDW in the past 12 months?
I was there 10 days in September at Poly, and I can't think of one single complaint that I had. In fact, it was MAGICAL!
I'm hoping, and expecting, our upcoming CR stay to be the same. (I'm nervous about CR itself, but don't want to deal with a kid begging to go down the volcano slide in December). I haven't stayed there since I was a kid. And my concerns have more to do with how in love with Poly my son was, more than any budget cuts etc.

I'm just wondering why anyone wasn't made to feel like a "guest".
This is a genuine question, and I'd like to hear actual cases..not because they have "upcharge events" that you don't want to partake in.

 

[wisblue]

I haven't been following the daily blow by blow on this because I was focused on my own trip to WDW the week after Easter (a wonderful 6 days in one of the new Poly DVC studio suites) and then had a short stop at home before heading out on a trip to Virginia to tour some Civil War battlefields followed by a few days in DC.

There seems to be a lot of speculation about what Disney is trying to test with these after Hours parties, so I'll add my two cents. I don't really think it relates directly to pricing for the holiday parties because this sounds like a significantly different event. The DAH event is described as being offered to a "very limited" number of guests, which really can't be said for the holiday parties. DAH is clearly directed at people who want to ride, ride, ride, where the parties focus more on the special events and character greetings with ride availability an afterthought for a lot of people. The parties seem to be directed much more to families, especially ones with smaller children, whereas DAH is going to appeal more to adults and teens, especially with the current pricing.

I see this as a test to see how much people will pay directly for greater access to rides with shorter to no waits. We have all seen the things that people will do to gain an edge on the rides, including (1) hiring "guides" with a GAC at a substantial cost to abuse the GAC system and cut lines, (2) booking rooms they don't intend to use to get better access to EMH and FP's, (3) booking meals they really aren't interested in to get early access to one ride or a FP for a show, and (4) creating multiple MDE accounts and using old magic bands, or getting them from other people, to get more FPs than the average guest. We've also heard several people say they would happily pay more to be able to experience lower crowds in the parks. So, something like this will show how many people are willing to pay more, and how much they will be willing to pay, to get that extra access.

I think it's too early to say if this is achieving what Disney is out to accomplish, whatever that might be. As far as I can tell, the first few parties have not been widely promoted, and they were only announced a few weeks in advance. That doesn't give people a lot of time to evaluate the event and make a buying decision, especially for people who may have already established plans and budgets for their trips. It's going to take some word of mouth reports to help some people make their decisions. Giving away some tickets helps increase the number of people who can provide those reports and also helps them to determine how many people they can admit while still providing the advertised experience. Starting with a high price and low attendance will enable them to work toward the middle if they decide to continue with these events in the future.

I also suspect that this event will provide information that will help them to decide if similar events would be feasible when some of the new areas open, like the Pandora attractions at DAK and the Star Wars things at DHS. It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Out of curiosity-

How many on here complaining about the levels of customer service have been to WDW in the past 12 months?
I was there 10 days in September at Poly, and I can't think of one single complaint that I had. In fact, it was MAGICAL!
I'm hoping, and expecting, our upcoming CR stay to be the same. (I'm nervous about CR itself, but don't want to deal with a kid begging to go down the volcano slide in December). I haven't stayed there since I was a kid. And my concerns have more to do with how in love with Poly my son was, more than any budget cuts etc.

I'm just wondering why anyone wasn't made to feel like a "guest".
This is a genuine question, and I'd like to hear actual cases..not because they have "upcharge events" that you don't want to partake in.

Just posted on another thread that we've not felt any decline in customer service or "magic" over the past 10-11yrs. That's us -- subjective, to be sure.

As far as CR goes, I haven't stayed there in years but we're owners at BLT and LOVE being able to walk over to MK! It certainly doesn't have the same vibe as Poly, but we enjoy it a great deal.

 

[Jennasis]

Might be time for some to step away from the computer. Seems to be folks on both sides far too vested in proving the feelings of internet strangers wrong.

 

[wisblue]

Out of curiosity-

How many on here complaining about the levels of customer service have been to WDW in the past 12 months?
I was there 10 days in September at Poly, and I can't think of one single complaint that I had. In fact, it was MAGICAL!
I'm hoping, and expecting, our upcoming CR stay to be the same. (I'm nervous about CR itself, but don't want to deal with a kid begging to go down the volcano slide in December). I haven't stayed there since I was a kid. And my concerns have more to do with how in love with Poly my son was, more than any budget cuts etc.

I'm just wondering why anyone wasn't made to feel like a "guest".
This is a genuine question, and I'd like to hear actual cases..not because they have "upcharge events" that you don't want to partake in.

This thread has strayed enough without getting into things that have nothing to do with the DAH event. These things have been beaten to death in other threads.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Out of curiosity-

How many on here complaining about the levels of customer service have been to WDW in the past 12 months?
I was there 10 days in September at Poly, and I can't think of one single complaint that I had. In fact, it was MAGICAL!
I'm hoping, and expecting, our upcoming CR stay to be the same. (I'm nervous about CR itself, but don't want to deal with a kid begging to go down the volcano slide in December). I haven't stayed there since I was a kid. And my concerns have more to do with how in love with Poly my son was, more than any budget cuts etc.

I'm just wondering why anyone wasn't made to feel like a "guest".
This is a genuine question, and I'd like to hear actual cases..not because they have "upcharge events" that you don't want to partake in.

We are. We were talked to sarcastically by a photopass photographer and snapped at by a ride CM. We were both shocked and I mentioned it in my survey.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I see this as a test to see how much people will pay directly for greater access to rides with shorter to no waits. We have all seen the things that people will do to gain an edge on the rides, including (1) hiring "guides" with a GAC at a substantial cost to abuse the GAC system and cut lines, (2) booking rooms they don't intend to use to get better access to EMH and FP's, (3) booking meals they really aren't interested in to get early access to one ride or a FP for a show, and (4) creating multiple MDE accounts and using old magic bands, or getting them from other people, to get more FPs than the average guest. We've also heard several people say they would happily pay more to be able to experience lower crowds in the parks. So, something like this will show how many people are willing to pay more, and how much they will be willing to pay, to get that extra access.

I thought this at first, but I am a little confused why they are still running the event. Everyone who took econ 101 can tell you that the price is too high. They don't seem interested in lowering the price point RIGHT NOW and they are giving away tickets until the event is roughly at capacity. They really want some "guinea pig guests" to test SOMETHING and I don't think it has to do with price. I'm just not sure what the end goal is.

I agree these events are very different from parties. We went to 2 parties before and I think we rode maybe 4 rides total on both nights. We were off meeting characters and watching special parades.

 

[Kimberly9701]

Just posted on another thread that we've not felt any decline in customer service or "magic" over the past 10-11yrs. That's us -- subjective, to be sure.

As far as CR goes, I haven't stayed there in years but we're owners at BLT and LOVE being able to walk over to MK! It certainly doesn't have the same vibe as Poly, but we enjoy it a great deal.

Good to hear! My son is in love with the monorail, and I thought that being a short winter trip-it would be better to stay in a resort the style of CR where we can take the elevator to the monorail or short walk to MK. December can be freezing or it can be cold..sometimes, as last year, it could be unusually warm. I'm a former South Floridian and normally Orlando Decembers are too cold for me to ever think of going in a pool, heated or not. I think the lava pool was my son's fave part of our vacay lol

Might be time for some to step away from the computer. Seems to be folks on both sides far too vested in proving the feelings of internet strangers wrong.

It was a genuine question, if you have an issue with it then I'm sorry you feel that way.

This thread has strayed enough without getting into things that have nothing to do with the DAH event. These things have been beaten to death in other threads.

There have been such claims stated in previous comments. I am curious. Seems to me that most people here have been to WDW a lot more than me the past few years. I went annually, but then took 5 years off. Didn't want to brave it alone with a child until he was 5. We went other places, and probably once a year I started to plan a WDW trip..but then always backed out bc I just didn't feel we were ready. When we did go, I didn't notice any difference than any other time I had been. Besides it being a TOTALLY different trip as a mother.
Since those comments have been made in the past few pages, and it seems to be the general tone of this thread- I didn't think it was an inappropriate question. Please feel free to pass me the handbook, I don't know all of the ins and outs here.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Dropping in again with a friendly reminder to remain on topic and to continue the DAH discussion in a non-argumentative manner.

Here's the post and copy of the Guidelines which were posted on Page 26 of this thread:

"Here's a friendly reminder to please follow the posting guidelines. Everyone is entitled to share their own objective and subjective opinions on the after hours topic.

↑
In order that folks keep in mind DISboards rules the link is posted below

here.

Posts and posters are expected to comply with these guidelines at all times.

You may disagree with a poster’s viewpoint, and discuss the issue, but no name calling, being sarcastic or personal attacks.

It is often good advice if you see a thread or post which you are unhappy with to walk away and give yourself a time out. Alternatively use the report post button which will alert all the moderators and the webmasters to any post, where appropriate action if necessary will be taken. If you add a comment yourself you may also face infractions as per the guidelines."

 

[CJN]

Since comparisons to airline charges have been brought up....our family of five once paid $100 per ticket to change our flight schedule. The reason? In a humorous connection to this discussion, to get us into MK about four hours earlier.